2.3.4 Collapse of the League

Question 1

When did Japan leave the League over Manchuria?

Answer 1

February 1933

Question 2

When did Italy leave the League?

Answer 2

May 1936

Question 3

After Japan and Italy left the League, which were the 3 remaining powerful countries?

Answer 3

Great Britain, France and USSR

Question 4

What had Great Britain and France shown through these international tensions?

Answer 4

That they were unwilling to protect other countries as they were too involved in themselves

Question 5

What are the 4 main factors that led to the collapse of the League?

Answer 5

• The Depression
• The League was powerless without an army
• Economic sanctions did not work
• The League lacked important world powers such as the USA, the USSR and Germany

Question 6

How can the Great Depression be seen as a reason for the collapse of the League in the Manchurian Crisis? (2)

Answer 6

• Japan’s main export was silk - a luxury item that people did not buy during the Depression, so the Japanese economy crashed. Japan wanted to invade Manchuria because it was rich in natural resources.
• The government in japan was not popular - seizing land in Manchuria made the government appear strong and the victories against the Chinese took people’s minds off the Depression

Question 7

How can the Great Depression be seen as a reason for the failure of the League in the Abyssinian Crisis? (3)

Answer 7

• Mussolini came to power promising to rebuild the Roman Empire - invading Abyssinia was a distraction from what was going wrong in Italy.
• Britain failed to inflict effective trade sanctions on Italy - they worried that banning the trade of coal would lead to further unemployment in Britain.
• There were lots of natural resources in Abyssinia

Question 8

How can the League having no army be seen as a reason for the collapse of the League in the Manchurian Crisis?

Answer 8

When Japan ignored the League’s warnings there was nothing the League could do

Question 9

How can the League having no army be seen as a reason for the collapse of the League in the Abyssinian Crisis?

Answer 9

Mussolini used chemical weapons on the Abyssinians, who were left defenceless by the League

Question 10

How can the ineffective economic sanctions be seen as a reason for the collapse of the League in the Manchurian Crisis?

Answer 10

Many members of the League felt that as the USA was Japan’s main trade partner, economic sanctions would not have a major impact; therefore no sanctions were imposed on Japan

Question 11

How can the ineffective economic sanctions be seen as a reason for the collapse of the League in the Abyssinian Crisis? (2)

Answer 11

• The League banned the sale of weapons to Abyssinian as well as Italy; this left their army with only basic weapons
• France and britain failed to ban goods that Italy would need to invade such as coal and oil

Question 12

How can the lack of important world powers be seen as a reason for the collapse of the League in the Manchurian Crisis? (2)

Answer 12

• Many European powers felt that Manchuria was too far away to deal with
• As the USA was not a member of the League, Japan would not lose its main trade partner if the League imposed economic sanctions

Question 13

How can the lack of important world powers be seen as a reason for the collapse of the League in the Abyssinian Crisis?

Answer 13

Britain and France wanted to keep Mussolini on side as they saw him as an ally against Hitler

Question 14

How can the dominant presence of Britain and France be seen as a reason for the collapse of the League in the Manchurian Crisis? (2)

Answer 14

• The dominating countries of the League were based in Europe and were reluctant to get involved in a matter so far away
• Britain sent Lord Lytton to investigate for the League, but he took too long - his report took many months to write, by which time Japan had completed its invasion. As one of the dominating forces of the League, Britain had failed to act with enough speed, which made Japan’s invasion easier

Question 15

How can the dominant presence of Britain and France be seen as a reason for the failure of the League in the Abyssinian Crisis? (3)

Answer 15

• Britain and France both had huge empires in Africa, so Mussolini felt they could not object to him making colonies there too
• Britain and France failed to close the Suez Canal, which could have halted his invasion
• Mussolini was seen as an ally against Hitler, so Britain and France proposed the Hoare - Laval Pact which undermined the League

Question 16

How did the Great Depression lead to the rise of extremist parties, leading to the collapse of the League? (4)

Answer 16

• In October 1929, the US economy crashed. The USA had lent money to many countries during the First World War and to help them rebuild after the war; therefore, when the USA went bust, so did everyone else
• The Depression brought with it vast unemployment, homelessness and starvation on a global scale. In these desperate times people started to lose confidence in their governments and to demand change
• Many were won over by the promises of dictators such as Hitler, who came to power in 1933. He had vowed to make Germany great again by invading other countries, which he promised would end the Depression by providing employment in weapons factories and the army
• In Japan, the army took over the country; Stalin controlled the USSR; and in Italy Mussolini was dictator

Question 17

How did the failure of the League lead to war in 1939? (3)

Answer 17

• People turned to extremist and militarism in the hope of rebuilding their countries’ economies, and this meant that these countries were less likely to support the League’s aims of cooperation and peace. For example, League stormed out of the League’s disarmament conference in 1933
• Hitler and Mussolini promised glory for their countries by waging war. They were not afraid of the League’s moral condemnation, and governments could not impose trade sanctions as their economies were also weak due to the Depression, and they could not afford to lose deals
• The only action Hitler and Mussolini could not have ignored was sending in an army, but of course the League did not have armed forces of its own and other countries could not afford to lend theirs in this time of Depression. In this climate, war became more and more likely and the League was powerful to stop it